Before the prestigious awards ceremony had even commenced, a scandal erupted online. An article titled 'Harry Kane – Ballon d'Or Winner 2026' unexpectedly appeared on the official Ballon d'Or website at around 17:15 GMT, just four and a half hours before the star-studded event at London's Palladium Theatre.
This revelation sparked immense excitement and confusion on social media, with fans believing that the organisers from France Football had made a monumental mistake by accidentally revealing the winner's name.
However, further investigation into the website uncovered that similar articles had been pre-prepared for multiple top contenders for the award. Among those included were Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, and Lionel Messi, along with female award nominees Alexia Putellas and Eva Perisset.
It remains unclear whether the article about Kane was published in error, while the others were released as a precautionary measure to cover up the leak, or if the site was simply testing out different scenarios for various outcomes. Shortly thereafter, articles featuring Kane and Mbappe were swiftly removed from the site.
If Harry Kane does end up clinching the coveted trophy, making him the first Englishman to win it since 2001, fans will now have to wait for the official announcement to confirm the winner.
